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HRCC appealing for new volunteers at Witham Charity Shop

HRCC is searching for volunteers after being forced to close early because of a shortfall. 

Our charity shop on Newland Street in Witham has only been able to open for a limited number of hours because it does not have enough volunteers to run the shop. 

Now we are pleading for people to give up their time and volunteer at the store otherwise it will continue to lose out on vital trading time. 

In total we have five charity shops across Essex and Hertfordshire in Witham, Wickford, Sawbridgeworth and two in Burnham on Crouch. Alison Matthews has been the Head of Retail at all shops for more than ten years.

Alison said: “We have been struggling to recruit volunteers for our Witham shop for a while now. These shops are the absolute lifeblood of the charity and we know there’s still a desire for the shops because of how busy they are and the amount of donations we receive from the public. 

We have five retail shops, operated by a fantastic team of volunteers, and are always looking for additional help. Our shops are a hive of activity, with donations to sort, and our excellent regular customers to serve, but we love to see new faces so always feel free to pop in and meet our teams and have a browse. We are always receiving new stock so our shelves are regularly filled with fresh stock and different items. 

If you can spare a few hours, have a good sense of humour and enjoy meeting new people, we would love to have your help with volunteering in our Witham charity shop. If you are interested please do get in touch! Contact me on 07984 049 973 or email alison.matthews@helenrollason.org.uk”.

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Tom Carr

I worked as a urologist with a special interest in cancer until my retirement in 2016. The patient journey with a new cancer is now often long and complex. Many need help to live their best life after treatment. Simple survival and the absence of cancer is not enough, feeling well and whole again is the goal. Social and psychological support makes all the difference. I am happy to help Helen’s charity to deliver that.

Kully Byatt

I have retired following a career at a senior management level in a range of sectors specialising in Human Resources, Project Management, Coaching and Mentoring skills. In addition since 2000 I have undertaken a number of voluntary Trustee roles for a range of organisations.

Through my desire to give back to a Charity that my mother personally benefitted from by utilising Complementary Therapies, I have for a couple of years volunteered for Helen Rollason Cancer Charity in the Retail Team and more recently this has inspired me to take up the role of Trustee so that I can contribute to the governance of HRCC in continuing to deliver vital services that benefit the community.

Jacqui Goulbourn

I’m a qualified accountant with over 20 years experience working in the NHS in Essex and beyond.  I know how vital charities in the healthcare arena are, to fill in where government funding doesn’t reach.  As a volunteer Trustee, I am pleased to be able to offer my skills and experience to help HRCC deal with these challenges, allowing staff to have a greater focus on providing services to the clients.

Friederike Englund

I am a cancer nurse by background and have supported those affected by cancer for over thirty years. I have worked very closely with the team at Helen Rollason and have seen the tremendous benefit and improvement in wellbeing that patients and carers experience through the support they receive. I am very keen to ensure that Helen Rollason widens its reach across all communities in Essex and offers support services that are effective and based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence.

Dave Johnson

I have always wanted to give something back following a corporate career in business development for technical services within the automotive industry.

I joined HRCC as a trustee to offer support and guidance to the very capable management team. It is nice to share my experiences and It is rewarding to see the team grow and deliver such important services.

Ben Schneider

I have been involved with HRCC for 15 years, initially through providing corporate sponsorship for fundraising events and then as a member of the Board, acting as Chair between 2020 and 2024.

With over 25 years’ experience as a Company Director in the Tech sector, I aim to bring my expertise in strategy, governance and digital transformation to support the charity in striving towards Helen’s vision of making good quality of life while coping with cancer available to everyone.

Andy Higgs

I have worked in the IT industry for over 14 years and before that, was a long-term retail manager so I have a broad range of experience to contribute to my trustee role, across the operations and retail areas. I am a husband and father of two and having lived in Chelmsford for many years, I really appreciate the opportunity to work with an excellent local charity.

My family has a deep connection with the charity as my wife, Kerry works in the Hatfield Peverel Centre and one of the family, who previously used the services, now volunteers. We’ve also been known to jump on bikes and get involved as we’ve all taken part in the Ride For Helen event over the years.

I am one of the newer trustees but I’m looking forward to contributing to the Charity’s purpose and goals.